I didn’t catch this in the FAQ, but wanted to double check. Is it permissible for us to form clubs/social groups on SDMB?
What are clubs/social groups?
Well, I was thinking about forming a little ‘Bad Poets Club’. People could identify their membership in their signature or profile, and I could keep a roster to keep track of who was really a member. Then we could have other groups too, so 2 or 3 groups could get together and play little mini RPG’s and stuff on the board. Or trivia contests with different groups/factions as oposing teams.
I don’t see why not. But I doubt anything would be formally recognized by the board administration. What would be the point?
Different sub groups I can think of off the top of my head:
MADs (Mid-Atlantic Dopers)
BADs (Bay Area Dopers)
The Star Trek contingent
The SF contingent
There must be others.
But they’re all informal groupings of posters with similar locales or interests. There’s really no connection to the board admin at all.
As a matter of fact when we DO get together physically the board is careful to disavow any connection to such meetings. Take a look at the sticky thread atop the MPSIMS forum.
Well, everywhere on this board, everyone is allowed to post anywhere (except staff has varying degrees of posting access higher than members). So there won’t be any exclusiveness to these clubs, if formed. However, as mentioned before, there are several groups of folks who generally join is regular discussions. These include the BADs and other regional groups, which usually discuss either stuff to do in their area, or plan gatherings together (Dopefests*). There are also “clubs” with a common interest, like the 24 Club, who get together every week and discuss the latest episode. I don’t think there’d be any problem with attempting to form something like what you have in mind, as long as it remains an open community where people can come and go as they please. I hasten to add that I am merely a member, like you. Rule #1 of the SDMB: the Staff is in charge. 
Welcome!
*-These, legally speakingm have nothing to do with the Straight Dope or its newspaper, The Chicago Reader, basically so they won’t be responsible when someone sets his butt on fire or whatever.
You can pretty much call yourself whatever you want, within limits, of course.
your humble TubaDiva
Administrator
Not quite. Rule #1 is: Don’t be a jerk. Rule #2 is: The staff is in charge of Rule #1.
I should also mention that we really do get irritated at people who use the Straight Dope Message Board as merely a carrier for whatever cause or issue is of overweening importance in their lives. This includes people that use their sig files like bumper stickers, violent political/social activists or nuts with a grudge, spam artists, and, most of all, one-trick ponies who only speak to a particular subject and nothing else at all.
But if you just wanna say, for instance, “Hey, I’m from _____” (where _____ happens to be), sure, knock yourself out.
your humble TubaDiva
Administrator
:smack:
Of course. See, this is why you listen to staff and not members. Sorry, UncleBeer.
Nah. I was just bein’ silly.
Generally people do this on separate message boards. There’s a variety of free boards available. I know that there’s a separate Dallas-Fort Worth aread MB, and one for Down Under Dopers. There’s also one for people who have depression.
The board is too slow and too overtaxed for a few small groups to be able to play little RPGs on it. I’d say, without knowing more about it, that ALL the games would have to be open to EVERYONE. We also don’t like to see one person starting a lot of new threads in one forum, so that other threads are bumped off the front page. It’s OK in ATMB to ask a lot of questions, because this isn’t a very busy forum, and you’re trying to learn the rules. It’s not OK to start a whole bunch of threads at the same time in other forums because they tend to be VERY active, and will have a lot of front page thread turnover.
Please remember that the PRIMARY focus of this message board is fighting ignorance. This is NOT meant to be a social board, even though we have social forums. This board cannot be everything to everybody. For instance, I’m a member of a few other message boards. I post in a cat lovers’ message board, where we are all likely to say “Awwwwww!” at the latest pictures of kittens. I post in a sexual parody webcomic forum, where we talk about things best not discussed on the SDMB. This message board is, I believe, THE best general interest English language board on the internet, but that doesn’t mean that we expect people to ONLY post on this board.
My point is, try to enjoy the SDMB for what it is, and don’t try to make it over into something that it was never intended to be.
Lynn
For the Straight Dope